A suite of furniture exhibited by Pierre Chareau in 1922. Chareau’s signature pieces could be combined in endless variations and adapted to rooms of different dimensions and characteristics. (Courtesy Jewish Museum)

Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design will zero in on the legendary French designer and architect who rose from modest beginnings in Bordeaux, France—with no formal training as an architect—to become one of the most sought-after designers in Europe. His interiors and furniture balanced the opulence of traditional French decorative arts with the clean lines and industrial materials of modernism.The exhibition will place Chareau within the context of France between World War I and II by exploring his influential patrons, engagement with top artists, and designs for the film industry. Paintings, sculptures, and drawings from his personal collection—by artists such as Piet Mondrian, Marc Chagall, and Amedeo Modigliani—will be on display, as will his furniture and light fixtures, vintage photographs, and the pochoir prints he made of his interiors. Also featured will be his designs for important projects in Europe and America, including the Maison de Verre, the 1932 classic modernist home in Paris, and the 1947 house he designed for the artist Robert Motherwell in East Hampton, New York, that was later demolished. The exhibition also will explore Chareau’s flight from Nazi persecution in France to New York; his attempts to rebuild his career there; and the dispersal of many of his works during and after World War II.

Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and DesignThe Jewish Museum, 1109 5th Avenue, New York
November 4–March 26